James 5 - Lessons for Rich Oppressors, Patience in Suffering, and Keeping the Letter of James AliveSýnishorn

Calling Others Home

What James himself has been doing throughout the letter, he now urges us to do for one another. We are to seek out wayward brothers and sisters and turn them back to ‘the truth’ (verse 19). The truth here is not so much a doctrinal truth. It is the ‘word of truth’ (James 1:18) or the ‘perfect law that gives freedom’ (James 1:25). In other words, it is the truth of the teachings of (and about) Jesus himself. The ‘wandering’ mentioned here then, is a departure from the lifestyle demanded of the followers of Jesus.

The whole letter of James has been calling on believers to conform to this truth of Jesus, which is why much of the letter alludes to things Jesus himself taught. This final paragraph urges readers to take up that task themselves and seek to win back those who have strayed - who perhaps are no longer even present in the congregation to hear James’ words for themselves.

The wayward person is called a ‘sinner’. When used here of a believer (and also in James 4:8), this term implies a gross refusal to submit to God’s ways; the person who claims to have faith, but ‘without deeds’.  James has already said that faith like this is dead (James 2:17). Now he warns that the fate of such a person may indeed be ‘death’ in the ultimate sense (verse 5:20), the exclusion from the kingdom of God. 

James pleads faithful Christians to ‘save’ their sinful brothers and sisters from this fate. We are to do what we can (by word, example and prayer), to convince our wayward Christian friends to return to the path of Jesus. Doing this will ‘cover over’ the multitude of their sins. This is a reference to God’s willingness to overlook the faults of the repentant sinner (Psalms 32:1 and 85:2, Romans 4:7). Let us repeat what we have said often throughout this book; for all of the challenges James puts to his readers, mercy is never far away from his mind (or pen). This is not a ‘moralistic’ epistle; it is a letter of rebuke, restoration and grace.

Family Accountability

What James asks of his readers in this final paragraph goes completely against our individualistic, modern culture. We talk about faith as a ‘private affair’. We say, ‘Who am I to judge?’ We even quote Jesus, “Take the log out of your own eye,” forgetting that he added, “then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5). 

Naturally, we should never be judgmental or hypocritical toward others, but the Christian community should be a place of mutual accountability. We are meant to be a family and part of being a family is helping each other stay on track, not only through prayer and example but also through humble confrontation and criticism. This is a difficult task and it is fraught with the potential for discomfort and embarrassment but it is one we must fulfill if we are to love our Christian family as ourselves.